[for  the  soldiers.]  Ho.  26* 

ARE   YOU  READY 


"  Whit  do  ymc  mean  hy  this  question?"  There  la  a  great 
event  before  you:  its  arrival  is  certain;  but  it  is  utterly  be- 
yond your  power  to  ascertain  at  what  hour  it  will  arrive. 
Ten  or  twenty  years  may  elapse  before  its  arrival — perhaps 
not.  as  many  minutes.  Some  have  expected  it  long,  but  it 
still  delays.  Millions  have  put  it  far  off,  but  it  has  burst 
unexpectedly  upon  them.  This  is  a  most  momentous 'event. 
It  will  sunder  all  your  relations  to  the  present  world  :  it  will 
break  ever}'  tie  ot  mortality — strip  oft'  every  disguise — expose 
every  error  and  deception — bring  out  to  light  your  whole 
character,  even  to  every  secret,  thing — present  you  before  a 
just  and  holy  Judge,  and  introduce  you  to  an  unchangeable 
condition  of  joy  or  sorrow.  This  event  is  DEATH ;  and  the 
question  is,  "  Are  you  ready  to  die  1" 

"  Who  asks  this  question?"  Your  Maker.  Ho  does  it  in 
his  word.  Ono  of  the  errand  objects  of  that  blessed  volume 
is  to  enable  you  to  give  it  an  affirmative  answer.  By  judg- 
ments and  by  mercies  does  his  holy  providence  press  this 
matter  upon  you.  Your  own  rational,  niiure  does  the  same. 
When  reason  and  conscience  are  permitted  to  speak,  they 
urge  attention  to  this  great  concern.  Dispel  from  your 
mind  the  delusive  charms  of  this  world  ;  press  your  way  out 
of  that  torrent  of  cares  or  pleasures  which  sweeps  every 
serious  thought  away;  rebuke  every  other  appeal,  and  let 
that  only  be  hoard  which  the  unblinded  reason  and  the  un- 
seared  conscience  make,  and  you  will  perceive  that  this 
inquiry  is  solemnly  addressed  to  you.     By  your  frailty  and 

r'ioCUty  is  this  question   pressed'.     Nothing  can'  hernOre 


"2  ARE    YOU    READY  ''. 

precarious  thau  your  hold  on  life.  Your  body  ia  the  tie  that 
binds  you  to  the  earth.  How  frail  a  flower.  "  The  wind 
passeth  over  it,  and  it  is  gone.''  It  is  in  health  and  vigor 
to-day  ;  to-morrow  it  is  lif'e'ess  and  cold,  and  full  of  corrup- 
tion. "The  worm  is  thy  sister  and  thy  mother."  Your 
frailty  therefore  cries,  A  re  you  rendyf  and  the  voice  waxes 
louder  and  louder  with,  every  wasting  hour  of  your  probation. 
Eternity  seems  uttering  the  same  appeal:  as  if  with  a  1  ving 
voice,  it  presses  every  human  mind  with  the  momentous 
truth,  that  beyond  the  grave  man's  destiny  is  irreversibly 
settled;  therigh:eous  are  "righteous  stil,"  the  filthy,  "filthy 
still."  And  it  utters  the  earnest  admonition,  "Beware  of 
unprepareclness  to  die."  But  there  is  yet  another  voice — 
and,  reader,  if  there  be  any  voice  that  should  drown  all 
the  appeals  of  the  cares  and  pleasures  of  this  world,  which 
should  excite  the  soul's  most  intei  se  and  devout  attention, 
which  shou'd  penetrate  its  lowest  depths,  and  arouse  its 
strongest  emot'ons,  it  should  be  the  voice  of  the  Redeemer. 
"Be  ye  also  ready,"  is  his  admonition.  No  voice  breaks 
upon  human  ears  in  so  much  tenderness  and  love;  for  no 
friendship  has  man  experienced  like  that  shown  by  the  Son 
of  God,  and  no  voice  is  so  suited  to  inspire  solemnity  and 
awe  as  that  of  the  final  Judge. 

"  Why  ash  rais  question?"  Because  none  can  be  conceived 
of  so  much  importance.  Because,  disturbing  men's  sinful 
minds  as  it  does,  they  are  not  disposed  to  press  it  honestly 
and  earnestly  upon  themselves.  Because  an  honest,  serious, 
enlightened  dec:sion  of  this  -question  may  be  of  everlasting 
benefit  to  your.  soul.  Because,  amid  the  hurry  of  business 
or  the  whirl  of  pleasure,  you  may  at  this  hour  need  some- 
thing to  lead  you  to  consider  your  character  and  eternal 
prospects.  Because,  if  the  subject  which  this  question  urges 
upon  you  is  not  attended  to,  the  soul  will  be  lost. 

"  Why  ask  me  this  question?"  Because  it  respects  interests 
of  yours  of  infinite  value — interests  in  fearful  peril,  if  you 
cannot  answer  this  question  in  the  affirmative.  Because  this 
question  is  suited  to  arouse  attention  to  what  you  may  have 
totally  neglected.  Because  you  may  be  the  very  person  of 
of  all  living  who  most  need  such  an  appeal ;  being,  perhaps, 
the  victim  of  ■<  false  hope,  or  of  fatal  error,  and  borne  farther 
and  farther  every  day  from  God  by  the  growing  power  of  sin. 
Because  it  is  of  infinite  importance  that  you  make  a  correct 


AUK    Vol'    RKA1)V  '.  '■'<■ 

decision  of  this  question.  And  especially,  because  the  nc-M 
bosom  pierced  by  the  dart  of  death  may  he,  your  oivn. 

*f  Who  are  not  ready  f  Common  opinion,  in  a  gospel  land, 
sweeps  a  large  circle,  and  there  stand  within  it  the  murderer, 
the  thief,  the  drunkard,  the  idolater,  the  profane  swearer, 
the  adulterer,  the  ecoii'er,  the  liar,  and  the  hypocrite.  But 
the  word  of  God  sweeps  a  1-arger  circle  still, including  not  only 
those,  but  these:  the  covetous,  the  lewd,  the  lovers  of  plea- 
sure more  than  of  God,  the  frau<iule"t,  the  unmerciful,  the 
formalist,  the  prayerless,  the  wordly — indeed  every  soul 
which  has  not  been  washed  in  the  blood  of  Christ,  and  is  not 
a  habitation  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  Not  one  of  all  these  can 
give  an  affirmative  answer  to  the  question  now  urged.  ~Nvt 
one  of  them  is  ready  to  die.  Death's  arrival  if  they  under- 
stood their  own  condition,  would  fill  them  with  inexpressi- 
ble consternation. 

"//  lam  ready,  what  theu?"  As  this  is  one  of  the  most 
important  decisions  mortal  man  can  make — as  it  involves 
interests  of  infinite  value — as  a  wrong  decision  would  be 
unspeakably  perilous,  make  it  not  without  the  most  careful 
examination.  Spread  before  you  the  holy  Scriptures,  and 
ponder  deeply  their  descriptions  of  Christian  ^character. 
Apply  the  line  and  plummet  to  your  own  heart  and  life. 
Rest  on  no  man's  gnod  opinion.  Keep  in  mind  the  final 
trial  of  your  case.  How  solemn,  how  searching  that  trial! 
How  momentous  the  result!  If,  after  all,  you  can  humbly 
hope  you  are  accepted  in  Christ,  then  honor  with  the  warm- 
est zeal,  and  in  every  possible  manner,  the  Author  and  Fin- 
isher of  your  faith.  Let  all  men  see  that  your  hope  purifies, 
and  your  faith  works  by  love.  Let  them  see  that  your  whole 
character  has  been  cast  anew  in  the  mould  of  the  gospel.  By 
every  energy  you  can  employ,  endeavor  to  make  your  fellow- 
men  possessors  of  a  like  glorious  hope. 

"  If  I  am  not  ready,  what  then?"  Then  you  have  already 
run  a  moot  desperate  hazard  of  losing  your  soul.  You  could 
not  have  said,  in  any  hour  of  life,  the  next  should  not  be 
your  last;  and  as  you  are  now  unprepared  to  die,  you  have 
run  as  many  risks  of  everlasting  ruin  as  you  have  lived 
hours.  You  have  stood  on  the  d  zzy  height  of  a  most  fright- 
ful precipice.  Your  feet  had  well-nigh  slipped.  Look  b;ick: 
it  would  peem  your  heart  would  grow  faint  and  sick  at  the 
dreadful  peril  to  which  you  have  been  exposed.    Youroot 


4  ARK    YOU    RKAT>Y  f 

being  now  ready  also  implies  very  great,  guilt.  It  implies 
insensibility  to  the  most  powerful  and  affecting  motives: 
stubborn  refusal  of  a  thousand  kind  and  affectionate  invita- 
tions; contempt  of  most  solemn  warnings;  reckless  indif- 
ference to  the  60ul's  value.  I  appeal  not  to  vices  and  crimes 
in  proof  of  sin  ;  there  is  evidence  enough  without  this  to 
prove  you  stained  with  crimson  guilt.  But  if  you  are  not 
ready,  there  is  no  work  so  important,  no  obligation  so  press- 
ing, as  your  immediately  seeking  the  favor  of  God.  Bid  the 
world  retire.  Its  highest  'and  most  pressing  claims  should 
not  impede  you  for  a  moment  in  the  great  work  of  getting 
ready  to  die. 
"  "  But  I  am  in  health,  in  the  fulness  of  my  strength,  why  press 
this  matter  so  earnestly  upon  me  V  You  are  just  the  person  to  be 
addressed.  If  you  lay  upon  a  dying  bed,  life's  lamp  expiring, 
and  all  your  powers  sinking  into  ruin — if  you  had  reached 
such  a  point  unprepared,  had  crowded  this  great  work  into 
that  most  unfit  hour,  there  would  be  scarce  the  slightest 
prospect  that  any  appeal  would  avail. 

Once  more,  the  question.  Arcyou  ready?  though  now  asked 
in  affectionate  earnestness,  will  not  be  asked  by  that  unre- 
lenting destroyer,  Death.  He  asks  no  man  if  he  is  ready. 
He  drives  bis  dart  alike  through  the  ready  and  the  reluctant 
soul.  Furnished  or  unfurnished  for  the  world  to  come,  it 
must  obey  the  dreadful  summons.  Eeader,  by  all  that  is 
blessed  in  a  death  of  pence  and  hope,  lie  entreated  to  regard 
the  solemn  expostulation  of  your  Lord  :  "  Be  ye  also  ready ; 
for  in  such  an  hour  as  ye  think  not,  the  Son  of  man  cometh." 


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